Her return

Development

EDITED: Saturday 06/24/17

The touching moment swelled everybody's hearts and they could only watch on as the reconciliation between two young women took place before them; Lory was outright sobbing, Kanae was weeping silently, Yashiro was crying loudly with Lory, and Ren was smiling heavenly-- already expecting this outcome. Kyoko stood up with Maria on her back, "I apologize for that, my little sister needed my undivided attention."

People chuckled as Kyoko made a pained expression at Maria death grip, Ruriko walked up and wrapped an awkward arm around Kyoko, "I hope we can be friends, Kyoko-chan."

"Ruriko-chan, I wouldn't have it any other way."

They laughed and Maria hopped off Kyoko's back, "Kanae-chan get up here! You're our sister, too."

Kanae's eyes widened as she slowly made her way up to the stage, blushing furiously, "Mo! Why do you crazy bakas always have to go and embarrass me like this!?"

She hugged them nonetheless, but her glare didn't disappear; Lory's crying became obnoxiously loud as they walked off the stage through the wings.

...Meanwhile let's visit Sho...

He choked on his soda, eyes nearly falling out of their sockets as Akane stepped on stage, her beautiful features awakening his manly needs. She smiled pleasantly and her golden eyes popped beautifully thanks to the red of her hair, Sho instantly recognized those unique eyes and groaned in his ever growing guilt. He'd been regretting his stupidity for the past six and half years, often finding himself calling the number he knew she no longer used or crying to himself in drunken bouts of sadness. He would celebrate her birthday without her, saving every gift he had gotten her during her time abroad in hopes she would--in fact--return. He would be an even bigger fool to never admit he'd fallen for her and that he'd fallen hard, but he knew that whatever desire he had to monopolize her had diminished and he loved her the right way, only wishing for her happiness with whoever she found worthy. Yes, he still hoped that it was him, but he really hoped it wasn't with that bastard Tsuruga Ren. Anybody but him... actually he'd be fine with Tsuruga as long as it wasn't the Beagle.

Her voice rang in his ears to the very last note and he fell for her on a whole different level, her expression put her in a different light for everybody he's sure, but how she sung of finding herself he knew that she wrote that song for herself not Akane and in his opinion there's no better way to write songs. The stage name is just a facade, a persona to differentiate personal life from professional, but when true artists appear and act or sing through themselves and not their stage personas they prove their passion for their work. He watched Lory Takarada's granddaughter hug his childhood friend and exclaim that she loves her and Kyoko does the same. Kanae Kotonami joined in the sob fest, but he saw Kyoko's comfortableness, so Kyoko you've finally found the family you deserve? 

...Back to Kyoko and CO...

She exited her dressing room and as expected her mother leant on the wall waiting on her daughter, "Come with me."

She nodded and followed obediently, but stayed five or six feet away, afraid of the outcome if she got too close, "How did you know I had returned, Okaa-san?"

She clicked her tongue, "You're my daughter, I only allowed Takarada-san to give you the authorization of your American citizenship if he informed me of your return."

Kyoko nodded again, "Mother, about what happened before I left I want to apologize."

"Kyoko, save it for when we reach our destination, I have some things I wish to apologize about as well."

Kyoko said nothing further, just followed like a lost puppy; Ren watched from a farther distance behind, glaring intensely at the woman he deemed unworthy to call herself Kyoko's mother. Kanae stood next to him, watching her best friend with a pained expression, her guilt overwhelming her outer exterior; she hated herself for ever thinking she had it bad when Kyoko didn't even have a mother who loved her. They disappeared beyond a corner and the two professional actors turn to each other, "You want to follow them?"

Ren nodded and they moved like modern ninjas, walking stealthily through the warm white hallways; Kyoko smirked when she felt her two favorite people following her, their concerned glares drilling her back. She wasn't sure what made her so aware of her surroundings, but she had a feeling that playing a spy heightened her awareness--I mean come on, I played Will Haylin the best CIA assassin in history. Kyoko giggled softly at the thought, if only Will was real... that would be the day. Ren heard her laugh and he looked at her even harder, he jumped behind the corner when she glanced over her shoulder.

Watching as he disappeared, Kyoko smiled and mouthed without hesitation, "Thank you Ren, I love you."

Her mother lead her into an office that she worked through and Kyoko realized that Saena was LME's Lawyer Supervision, Saena sat at the desk and Kyoko sat across from her in one of the client seats, "I am truly sorry for what I did a few weeks before I left, mother. I shouldn't have even raised my hand, please forgive me!?"

Kyoko tried to perform a dogeza in her chair, but her mother reached across and held her shoulder, "I shouldn't have said the things I said, Kyoko, I knew it would make you angry and I knew your emotions from the previous eleven years were overwhelming you. I didn't want to hurt you anymore and I most certainly had no intentions of ever hurting you when you were a child. I just," Saena's eyebrows scrunched together as she groped her mind for the most fitting thing to say, "I just didn't have the confidence to truly love you like a mother should, I was afraid that in my loving you I would see your father and hate you like you thought I did. Kyoko I'm-"

"I love you too, Okaa-san."

Saena froze and stared at her daughter, tears forming and overflowing, "You have know idea how happy those words make me feel, even though I know I don't deserve to hear them." She takes a deep, shaky breath, "I love you too, Kyoko."

Kyoko began to cry with her mother and they hug, the relationship they both always wanted with the other finally forming and their expressions were matched on two completely different mirrors, they were smiling and crying and laughing--both too quietly for the other to hear--Kyoko took a deep breath and realized that this was her final stage of development, her final trial on her path of healing and she now truly believes she's worthy of her LME Love Me graduation.